


Finding my place........

by wordweilder



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire, Gendrya - Fandom, game of thrones
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-03-20 06:30:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13711851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordweilder/pseuds/wordweilder
Summary: Arya stark has returned to winterfell but she feels a distance from her home , her siblings . Her time as an assassin has left her with a cold heart , but can the return of her two fav bastarts thaw the ice in her veins and help her in finding her place again..........?Heavy on arya gendry and jon.





	1. Finding Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very own gendrya story after reading almost every gendrya fanfic ever written.... This is my first story ever so be kind, but criticism is more than welcome , help me improve , point out the flaws , tell me what you want to happen in the upcoming season or in my story , and I will consider it ...........

Chapter 1 - Finding Home

Sitting on the edge of a cobblestone , Arya once again took in the present state of winterfell , all the years of damage and destruction bestowed on the one place she strived so hard to get back to ...her home, all those years yearning for home and now that she was here , it felt loath to admit it felt anything but .  
The smell of burnt wood , blood , battle , grief and loss now haunted the walls where once it smelled of family and of love. Maybe she had assumed that everything will return to normal once she got back home , that she will be welcomed with her father's smile and mother's frown , of Robb's easy laugh and Bran's pouts. Even after seeing the gruesome fate her famile met with her own eyes , her mind had somehow seeked refuge from all horrorrs when she thought of Winterfell.

In ways coming back home made her realise that she never really grieved for her lost loved ones the way she should have , had she still been that girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, who loved and lost her family,she was no longer that girl.

Even after reclaiming her name and abandoning the order of the faceless men to become Arya Stark of Winterfell once again , she still felt the cold numbness of a killer where there once ran the fire of a she wolf. Maybe the order took more from her than a few years of service , maybe they took some part her memories, her feelings so even after being back she felt a part of her always missing . Even with Sansa and Bran so close , she felt a distance between them as if there still was a narrow sea seperating them.

But things would have to be a little different with Jon , she had forgotten all her life in westeros , given up on everyone , but not Jon. She could not begin to part with with his memories , his smile , the way he mussed up her hair , his last gift , his last hug ......they were imprinted on her mind and so ever since her return , she had hoped to see his face . Winterfell might be where she lived , but It was Jon who always felt like home , his memory that ignited her need to return even when being someone else and giving up on herself seemed a better idea than to return and face all the pain and loss she had endured this side of the narrow sea. If she could see Jon , and still not feel anything , then surely there was no hope for her , she would forever be the cold hearted killer with ice in her veins and blood on her hands .

"They're here.The guards have spotted their party afar, they should arrive by noon" came a voice so grave and beautiful at the same time that it could only belong to her sister . Sansa , standing tall and looking every bit a lady of house stark in her long grey wool dress and fiery hair running down her shoulders like wildfire . There was no hint of smile on her face , she had grown too cautious and distrusting in their time apart . Where Sansa of the past would have fretted over her dress to greet their guests and impress them with her manners , the Lady Sansa of the present was worried over the guests that Jon will be bringing with him and politics that it would ensue. Arya might not have needed to delve into politics over the years , but she still retained some of the things she learned while serving Lord Tywin Lannister. She was aware a shrewd and cunning mind was more of a weapon than a long sword, and it filled her with pride that her sister had started wielding weapons of her own . 

"Is she with them. The Queen?" Arya whispered , she had to know . The rumours regarding the bastard king selling the north to his silver queen were running around like a bad plague. Though Arya knew enough to never take stock of rumours, the smallfolk and the lords needed to respect their new king .  
"They are a few women travelling with the party . Though a silver haired rider has been spotted . It could only be her. " Sansa seethed. 

Arya just nodded and went to fetch Bran . The Targaryen queen was not her problem , if Jon choose to bend the knee to her , he would have a good reason for doing so. Jon was as honourable as her father , he would never forsake the north for a woman. Honour....that was the reason she only had half her family with her , she only hoped she had seen the last of starks being slaughtered over their honour.She could not help them being a little girl but now....she vowed to use her skills on anyone who even dared to threaten the last of her pack.

 

*********************************************

 

The party arrived earlier than expected . Maybe Jon was as eager to be home as she was to see her . Arya had been both excited and terrified all morning after receiving the news , she had not felt this much of anything since becoming no one.  
She felt the same dread she felt before reaching the twins that day . Of finally reuniting with her family and at the same time wondering if something would go wrong , would he recognise her , would he sense how much she had changed? would he be disgusted? Jon might not know where she had been the past few years but there wasn't much she could ever hide from him.

The first thing she saw was the stark banner flying high and then she saw him . The same long face and brooding eyes , but the beard and his hair were diffrent , he looked like father.His eyes were trained on her as he said something to the queen and then his horse was galloping ahead toward her . Her heart stopped beating and she felt as if her legs had turned to lead. She wanted to run to him , to cry but all she could do was watch as she dismounted a few steps from her and opened his arms . "Arya" .... that one word had never held so much emotion as he said her name with relief , disbeleif and a fondness that could only come from a big brother . It was that one word that washed away all her doubts about being cold and indifferent even to her favourite brother and once again filled her blood with the familiar fire as she ran and leapt up to his arms .  
She was still incapable of producing a coherent words what with all the releif and happiness of findly finding her home , yes she had been in Winterfell for a while , but it was in this moment , in his arms that she finally felt coming back to where she belonged . Jon just spinned her around and hugged her so tight she felt the breath being knocked out of her . "I missed you , big brother" she croaked . Jon laughed "and I love you , more than words could possibly describe", wiping away the wetness of her cheeks and planting a kiss on her forhead . 

"Jon" Bran said while being wheeled towards them by Sansa. "We need to talk , I have something to tell you " . "Offcourse" Jon said while getting her back to her feet and then hugging Bran fiercely "I cannot beleive you made it out alive from the north of the wall . You must tell me all that you learned . It might help us in the wars to come "  
Jon then went over to Sansa and cracked a smile , "I knew there was no one better to take care of winterfell". Sansa just smiled and answered "Welcome back , your grace". Jon gave a slight frown , as if still not used to the title but before Jon could voice what was bothering him. Tyrion interrupted

"My Lord , now that you have had your moment , I think a few introductions are in order." , The imp came forward and bowed to Sansa ."Lady Sansa, It pleases me to see you safe once again in your home and amongst your family . I am here as a hand to queen Denerys , who rode here to help aid your house and your brother in the war against the Night King. In return of her help , your brother has promised the north's fealty to her ". It was a good move on his part to adress the rumours first hand in everyone's presence and also avoid any possibilty of Jon denying swearing alleigance to her , no doubt propmpted by Sansa calling Jon ,your grace . Arya had to marvel at the little man's quick thinking .  
He motioned to a pretty girl with curly dark hair who then began reciting a bunch of titles that held no meaning to any northerner and made the queen look like a pompous monarch intersted in reciting her glory when there was a war on the brink and important matters to be discussed. 

"Your Grace , we promise you our hospitality and our gratitude and nothing more for now . " Sansa stated defiantly and Arya wondered when exactly she developed such steel in her voice . She expected the worst , a fight , an argument as tension filled the air as the silver haired queen strode forward and met Sansa's gaze.  
"That is all I require as of now , Lady Sansa . We have a war to win together , we can worry about allegiance after our victory . I do not expect the northern lords to hand over their freedom to a stranger , I plan on earning their trust. I will have what is mine in the end. " She said in a hushed but confident voice. Arya suspected she was not the kind of queen who had to yell in order to be heard , the quiet authority in her voice belied the soft beautiful exterior she presented. She may have toughened up and become lethal , but the women in front of her now were all warriors , albeit of diffrent kinds .It stuck her in that moment that Westeros was no longer ruled by men, the women had become much skilled players in the Game of thrones. 

As they all decided to let the party rest and meet up for the feast , she purposely lagged behind to survey the rest of members of the party. She had felt eyes on her the moment she was free from Jon's embrace but could not satisfy her curosity out of deference to the queen . Her eyes immediately fell on the Hound and hers lips automatically muttred "seven hells " as she studied him , still brash and arrogant as ever . He stood next to a tall man with wild red hair like Sansa but his was wild and untamed , he had a big smirk on his face and was staring intently at a tall woman that could only be Brienne of tarth , afterall there weren't many women who could dwarf an entire riding party . On the opposite side stood an old man with white hair , Sir Davos he had introduced himself standing next to a man whose face was hooded , she was contemplating which side to join for conversation , when Jon appeared and loopped his arms with hers and leading her to the castle "I am not letting you out of my sight again Little Sister . We have a lot of catching up to do ".

As Arya was being led by her brother to the castle , she never saw that the pair of eyes she had felt on her were the very same blue eyes that shone with kindness , and concern , and mirth everytime she was near . The same blue eyes that lighted up while bantering with her , that were huge pools of sadness when he was being carted away from her . The same blue eyes that dreamed of her , that followed her every move since she came to view . The blue eyes she could not see because of a damn hood.


	2. An Old Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya and Gendry finally meet but it is not the reunion you would have hoped for .

chapter 2 - An old flame

It was one thing to have Jon nearby , safe and sound , it was completely another to meet his heavy gaze , his eyes taking her in seeing not the woman she had grown into but the fierce young girl he had known . Arya returned his smiles , and tried to evade any questions he might throw at her .But even after her best efforts , she knew Jon had caught on her reluctance to share information . After a while he has stopped asking her questions and just stared long and hard at her , as if willing her to blurt out her secrets as his stare drilled into her brain . "I understand you do not want to discuss what happened to you , but I am here for you whenever you are ready . We may not be the same people we were when we left , but you are still my little sister and I am still your Jon....that has not changed " he finally conceded reminding her exactly why she loved him so much .

They talked about everything other than her past and Arya marveled at how difficult life had been for her siblings and how each of them came out stronger after having suffered for so long . She knew Jon had a hundred more important things to deal with at the moment and that he needed to rest after a long journey , the fact that he ignored all that in favor of spending all his time with her was endearing but she could see the exhaustion covering his features . "We'll have time to catch up later , I wont want to keep the future queen waiting" she teased.

  
Being trained in how to read faces and being aware of her surroundings meant that she had caught on to the quick sly glances and inconspicuous smiles being exchanged between the duo .Arya had not formed an opinion of the targareyen queen as of yet , a fact that she would remedy soon enough . If the dragon came to the wolf's den with the intention of lighting it on fire , she would slit its throat before it can cause any damage.

  
Jon just shook his head and smiled at her . "Just give her a chance , there is more to her than meets the eye . She reminds me of you sometimes , so strong and independent . She isn't Cersei ,She cares about the realm and the people , she wants to help "  
"She wants a lot more than just to help Jon but as she said , trust needs to be earned . She has earned yours , she could do it again . I was more intereseted in her dragons. I havent heard of dragons arriving with your party . "

  
"They're out hunting . Much like our direwolves ,those dragons , they can stray far away but will always have a connection to her . They always come back to her ."  
"Not much like our direwolves then" Arya noted sadly . To say that Nymeria's refusal to come with her had hurt was to say the least .  
"Nymeria .....Is she?" Jon asked sceptical of finishing the sentence as if Arya would break down at the mention of death . If only he knew she had danced and flirted with death, even worshipped it all these years .

  
"Not Dead.....but she has her own pack . She doesn't need me now."  
"Or maybe you don't. She will come back to you when the time comes ,when you need her the most. "  
Arya just nodded and left Jon to rest before the feast .

 

  
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

The feast for the King and queen was a grand affair . It was nowhere near the extravagant feasts thrown at the red keep , but the extravagance was attributed to the abundance of fine arbor gold and the enthuthiasm of some of the wildling leaders , particularly the redhead , Tormund Giantsbane , Arya learned as he was quick to share with anyone within hearing distance exactly how he had earned his name .

  
She had her doubts on the authenticity of the story, but no one could deny that the wildlings were an intersting bunch . Personally Arya loved the freedom and the defiance with which they lived.But she had no time to enjoy the wilding stories for she was here with another goal in mind , she wanted to know more about the queen and the threat she copuld pose on her family . Apparently , Sansa had the same goal in mind as she saw her trying to get the pretty girl from Narth enagaged in a conversation , no doubt looking for information about the dragon queen.

  
Arya just settled to observe the queen and her interactions with others from afar. She could easily learn more about her by observing her from this distance . The queen had an exotic beauty , silver hair and purple eyes , she was beautiful ,no doubt but underneath that beauty ran an intense ambition and entitlement . She interacted with courtesy and respect but as soon as someone would dare question her decisions or her rights , she lost no time in setting them straight. Jon was doing a good job of placating both the northern lords and the queen and keeping up the peace in the table.

  
Arya was wondering whether the calm demeanour of the queen was all an act when a chair being dragged beside her distracted her . Apparently it was easier to observe people when she was a servant girl in Bravos , not when she was seated at the high table beside kings and queens. Tyrion Lannister had noticed her observation of the queen and decided to grace her with his all knowing presence.

  
"The elusive Arya Stark, I beleive you are the only stark I never had the pleasure of meeting. Tyrion Lannister , at your service My Lady"  
Ha! A lannister at her service ...the only service she would require of a lannister was to maybe summon their whole family so she could finish them all at once . Yes , that would be a fitting end for them.But then , Tyrion was diffrent . He was rumored to have killed Joffrey and Tywin Lannister .Peraps his services could be better utilised.  
"Lord Tyrion, You could have had the pleasure of meeting me when you first arrived at Winterfell but as I remember , you were otherwise occupied "

  
"I had a weakness for visiting certain establishments then , but as I recall you were shunned from the feast for misbehaviour before I could make an appearance . Still, I would love to know how does one escape King's landing on her own and stay out of sight even when my sister deployed entire armies looking for them"  
"I suppose the same way a dwarf runs as a kingslayer and a kinslayer and returns as a hand of the queen"

  
"A kinslayer I might be but a kingslayer , I was not .The little shit deserved to die , too bad it wasn't me , I beleive you would want to kiss the one who did"  
"I would have rather done it myself, seen his face as he died " Arya mused.

  
"Well I would rather see pretty faces then dying ones . Dying is seldom pretty , do you know most people shit themselves when killed "  
"Well then its mighty convinient if they are killed in a privy " Arya said hinting to the rumours once again, It was a controversial topic but given that Tyrion was deep in his cups seemed to lower his inhibitions , not that he had many . The Imp did like too much the sound of his own voice.

  
Tyrion actually smiled , though his smile was filled with sadness "Yes , well I am the monster who killed his father in a privy. But can you accuse one of patricide , if the said patriarch was never really a father to the monster. "

  
Well that was an intereseting question. She guessed it still did count as patricide but she did not want to be the one consoling a drunk morose Lannister so she deflected the question "Aren't we all...."

  
"Aren't we all ...what ? kinslayers ?" Tyrion asked , yes too deep in his cups

  
"Monsters " She gulped her wind in one swift motion and moved away trying to clear out the confusing conversation with the Imp from her mind.

  
Tyrion had chased the idea of observing the queen in silence away from her so she made her way over to the Hound . The circumstances of their parting had left a lot to be said and though she did not what to say to him , she knew she had to try.

  
"Clegane ....you're alive " Arya deadpanned  
"Thanks to you not having the guts to finish a job" He seethed but his eyes were full of mirth.  
"I don't kill without a reason"  
"There's always a reason...girl. You had best learn it by now."  
"There they are . I told you , you have sad eyes " Tormund chirped interrupting their banter and instantly angering the said sad-eyed man.  
"why dont you go find Brienne or the whinger to make eyes at , and leave me and my eyes the fuck alone"  
" I wouldnt suggest that Tormund, Brienne is guarding the queen and Sansa, and the whinger ...uhh I mean Gendry here is helping me out with something important " Jon appeared with Gendry at his side .

  
"Gendry...." Arya could not focus on whatever they spoke of next because her eyes were glued to Gendry . He was the same boy and yet completely different . He was always strong , but he grew even more defined in their time apart . His hair was cropped short but his eyes were just the same as before . Inviting and kind. It was one of those moments where you feel the breath has been knocked out of you and the earth has rumbled from under you . Arya thought she might have stared and stood silent for an eternity when in reality it was just a few moments.

  
"Arya " The sound of her name shook her out of her reverie . It was Jon and not Gendry who had spoken."How do you know Gendry?"  
"We travelled together to the wall .....after your father was murdered. Yoren was taking her home to Winterfell with the night's watch." Gendry supplied , eyes never leaving her .  
"We were friends " Arya coudn't help but add . Gendry had made it sound like they were nothing but two people travelling with the same group when they were much and more . They were the reason each of them was alive he protected her , kept her secret , kept her sane and she helped them escape the horrors they endured . Friends doesnt begin to cover what they had been to each other . They were the last ember of a dying fire in a world of pitch darkness.  
Arya did not know how to greet him , she wanted to smile and laugh and fight with him like the old times but she could not bring herself to do anything at that instant . They were so many eyes on them , it did not feel right for them to witness their reunion

  
"I thought you died ...... its good to have you back Gendry ". Arya could tell he was disappointed by her reaction , she had more of a reaction for Clegane but it didnt feel right to add anything more when Tormund looked like he had discovered a hidden treasure and Jon had a curious and distrusting look towards Gendry . She turned around to leave the suddenly awkward group when he spoke to her for the first time.  
"Its good to see you again ......my lady"

  
You wont be my family , you'd be my lady. Those words and that memory made her want to turn around and punch and hug him at the same time but she just halted . She had been called a lady a hundred times in the past hour alone and it was only his words that bothered her so .  
Arya left the hall wondering whether she would have had the same reaction if it was Hot pie with Jon instead of Gendry . She might have had a closer bond with Gendry but they were both her friends and she did not feel so confused when she had met him at the inn . She would worry about her feeling later , right now she needed to welcome her friend properly.


	3. Bantering with the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya and Gendry finally have a chance to talk .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys , 
> 
> I wanted to do a gendry POV so here it is , keep in mind that in my story gendry and Arya cared for each other as family , they aren't in love yet .Years after meeting they are coming to terms with their feelings. Its a gendrya story but I will be doing multiple POV and focus more on the events then only on the pairing. Also , I was wondering from where you guys are so If you could comment where you are from , I'll be glad. Also , please mention what should I do to improve my writing , and the story as I noticed a lot of good writers have read the first two chapters. As always , thanks for reading !!

Gendry POV

 

The familiar pounding of metal was music to his ears. He could get lost in the music he made with his hammer and forget all about the fucked up world around him. He would often drown in his sorrows and regrets in the forge, a habit that made him such a skilled smith. But as is the norm of all things in life, even his skills as a master smith had a downfall. He was so habitual of his hammer beating down on the anvil to create weapons that he did not need to pay much mind to his task, his hands would move of his own accord, which left his mind to wander …….and wander it did to all that had happened in the past few moons that had turned his life upside down once again.

He had tried to stay alive right under the noses of Lannister and thrown himself into work so as not to draw attention to him but he could not stomach arming the Lannisters when they were the reason he was alone in this world and had no family. They had killed his father, though he wasn’t much of a father but it was because of him that Gendry had felt himself more than just a bastard, he was related to one of the mightiest families in Westeros and if it weren’t for damned lions, he might have had a dozen half brothers or sisters to call family. Off course that was not the reason he boiled with anger at serving the Lannisters , the reason was a slip of a girl who had offered to be his family , who saved his life time and again , the one who was brutally murdered at the twins along with the rest of her family .

His anger and resentment lead him to blindly follow Davos out of King’s Landing, and when he finally came face to face with Jon Snow, it was his resemblance to Arya that made him decide then and there to be honest with him about his parentage and help him anyway he can. It was the least he could do ease his guilt, he was the reason the man was short one sister, He often wondered Arya would have reached Winterfell if the Gold cloaks hadn’t come looking for him.

He was prepared to die for Jon Snow’s cause if it came to it, but that did not mean he could muster the strength to speak to him about Arya. He had ventured beyond the wall but had not uttered a single word about Arya, no one needed to revisit the ghosts of their pasts when they were literally on the brink of death. He had wondered whether the king knew half his band of men beyond the wall had sheltered his favorite sister at some point.

They were taking their last rest before reaching the gates of Winterfell when she was mentioned by the King himself.

_“Your home …. it’s something else” the queen said as she laid eyes on Winterfell from a distance. It was said no one ever forgot their first glance at the winter castle, well they might have said it before the sack of Winterfell since you could see burns and repairs on the buildings that marred the beautiful landscape but no one could deny the place had an ethereal beauty, it was quite and dark like a shadow against the backdrop of an endless expanse of white._

_“My home ….it has been many years. I cannot believe she’s here” Jon snow mused looking at his castle but clearly talking about something else …or someone else. When the queen narrowed her eyes, he chuckled without humor “I lived in Winterfell but it was never my home , home was the little girl who told everybody the bastard of Winterfell was her favorite person in the world.” Jon Snow smiled with such fondness one would forget his usual brooding stance._

_Gendry craned his neck so fast he was surprised he hadn’t damaged it permanently. He had said she was here or was his mind still foggy from running senseless beyond the wall._

_“What?” Gendry croaked before he could stop himself earning quiet a few curious looks._

_“I had heard they killed the young stark girl at the red wedding ” Relief flooded him as Tyrion Lannister had talked over him taking the attention of him._

_“No they didn’t. I made damn sure of it. Had to knock her unconscious before she could run to her death trying to reach her brother.” The Hound bellowed from where he rode. He must have been listening closely even though he pretended to be uninterested in the chattering monarchs._

_“She was too young to have seen something so horrible.”_

_The hound sniggered “The world is horrible, no one is ever too young to learn that. Your sister never forgot it, helped her survive “_

_If the King was angered by Clegane’s outburst , he didn’t show it. Instead, he motioned to get up and commanded them to commence the journey . The sudden end of their well earned rest earned Clegane quite a few expletives and profanities from others But Gendry didn’t mind . All that talk had made him remember his own fondness for the high spirited wolf of a girl always barking orders and shouting at him._

Gendry blew out a long sigh as he finished beating the metal and plunged it into the water . Offcourse he would be motioned to the smithy after arriving , what had he expected anyways? He was a nobody , she wouldn’t greet him like she had greeted the king , all smiles and tears , hugs and kisses. All he had gotten were words as cold as the north . We were friends , she had said . Gendry had wanted to shout that she was not , she was family , he was a fool to want to run after the brotherhood when all the family he wanted was right there with him. He had realised it the moment they turned their backs on him and sold him to the witch _._

“Boo”

Gendry was lost in his musings that he jumped out of his skin when somebody yelled into his ear. In his surprise he had squealed in such a feminine voice it left him embarrassed and red faced as Arya doubled over laughing.

Gendry feigned anger for a moment but could not bite back his smile, her laugh quickly dissolving his sullen state.

 

“What did I tell you about insulting people who are bigger than you”

 “Would you rather I insult those who are smaller than me “she defended.

“ Offcourse not ! There’s no one smaller than you my lady” Gendry guffawed

“Jerk!” Arya accused.

“Wildling” Gendry retorted smiling wildly at the familiar banter between them.

“Not much of an insult around these parts. The free folk Follow Jon and helped take Winterfell back.”

“The free folk are also bleeding crazy , quick to anger and eager to fight , quite like someone I used to know. If only they could argue as well as you, they could have avoided the war altogether” Gendry continued while nudging her shoulder with the side of his arm as they were sitting side to side.

He was awarded with a smile as she wandered around looking at the looming mass of dragonglass that covered most of the forge. “What is this? I have never seen something like this . Its so...”

“Beautiful” Gendry provided walking up behind her , only he was not sure what he was speaking about at that moment. “Your brother wants me to oversee forging weapons out of dragonglass since I’m the only smith to ever venture north of the wall.”

“Why are you helping Jon?” She asked turning around.

Gendry had often wondered it himself why he was so quick to join the suicide mission beyond the wall “I was tired of making weapons for the Lannisters , so I joined Davos without a second thought. At that time, all I wanted was to get away from them. But seeing your brother, how he’s fighting not to keep a crown on his head but to protect his people, I knew I made the right choice.”

“It’s funny, how you never wanted to meet one of my brothers when I asked, yet here you are.” Arya said moving away , surprisingly with no malice in her words. She shielded her emotions much better now.

“You were right all along, I was stupid and bull headed . Wanted to discover a family when I already had one” Gendry followed

“Yes , a Baratheon, I heard  .I always wondered why the gold cloaks wanted you , makes sense now  ” Arya said completely misunderstanding who he had meant as family.

“I’m just a bastard, King’s blood or not”

“Good , I find that bastards are the best people.” Those words made his heart soar and threaten to hammer out his chest. A huge rush of affection and love ran through him , threatening to drown him in their depths.

He thought of Davos and his warnings , he thought of Lem clouting his ears at the brotherhood for the same reason , and in the end he thought ….fuck it .It wasn’t their business anyways.

“I would have searched the seven kingdoms had I known you were alive all this time ” he said in a low gruff voice as he moved towards her but lost his footing as a thunderous quake hit the ground . The sound was deafening and seemed to boom all across Winterfell.

This could not mean anything good, the air was filled with dread and foreboding around them as they made their way to the great hall , but Gendry could not bring himself to succumb to the feeling of doom as he felt her hand creep upto his along the way . At long last , he had his friend back.

 

 


	4. The Great War is here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon has to convince the lords and denerys to defend the north while putting their own pride aside.The northern lords dont trust the foreigners and thedragon queen isnt as impressed with the north. Meanwhile , he finds his siblings changed in ways he never could have imagined.

Jon pov

 

The one good thing about being a bastard was you could go anywhere you want and no one would care enough to tell you otherwise, bastards had no duties , no lands, no obligations and hence he had always attended the feasts in Winterfell till the wee hours , drinking and laughing with the common folk and lesser lords.

Being a King was the exact opposite. Everything he did was under immense scrutiny and he had to think twice before moving a single muscle lest he offend some perfumed lord or his conduct seem unbecoming for a king. He was not made for this , he was supposed to be the silent watchful protector  on the wall , a member of the night’s watch. As a bastard he had enjoyed the feasts in the castle  , as a king he had detested nothing like them . All night he had  tried to make people believe that the threat was real and that the queen was here to offer her support and aid them . The northerners had always been proud and stubborn , he never knew how difficult they could be till now.

The rumors surrounding him and Denerys had him ignoring her and keeping his distance for most of the night, at least Sansa seemed to appreciate his efforts though she did mention it was all for naught as no one was fooled . He was sure if someone as uninterested in songs of love as Arya had noticed the bond between them, then others would have taken notice as well.

For a moment he questioned whether he should be on his way to the queen’s chamber right now but he had grown accustomed to her presence and her warmth in the past few days and after starving himself of her company for most of the day , he wanted to spend some time with her . Jon had never felt this drawn to anyone , Ygritte had his heart , Arya was his soul but Denerys was different , Jon felt a strange pull towards her and could spend days just listening to her strategizing and sprouting off her titles for anyone who could hear.

It was a ground breaking quake that bolted him out his thoughts and into action . Winterfell was no stranger to the occasional rumbling of the earth but this seemed ….unnatural , almost sinister . He had not felt such a tremor even when the gentle giant Wun Wun had stormed winterfell’s gate and helped them breech the castle walls single handedly. He sprinted to the highest watch tower to check if there’s been an attack and prayed to any Gods who could hear to keep his family safe.

“No one in sight as far as the eye can see, no signs of any lookouts either , your grace ”Several guards had apparently had the same thought and beat him to it . Ghosts howl prevented him from asking more from the guards as he made way to his direwolf. Ghost was a silent creature who never uttered a sound if not needed, so Jon always knew instantly its important when he heard him and made his way toward the source of the sound .

As he reached the Godswood, he realized ghost was not alone but perched beside Bran , who was clutching the bark of a heart tree and apparently warging, since his eyes had turned white. Ghost had called him here that meant Bran would know what happened. Jon didn’t exactly know what had become of Bran in their years apart since he had yet to have words with him. Bran had  mostly been cooped up in the castle or in the godswood with Sam at his side, the two had become inseparable since before he arrived.

Jon had to shake Bran awake for he could no longer wait patiently by his side to know what happened. When his eyes opened, Jon wished he hadn’t for his eyes were full of fear and terror . This was the most emotion he had seen from Bran since he arrived , his mind reminded him of Rickon  as his face was forever frozen in the same expression in his memories.

“Take me to the great hall” Bran ordered. “The others are coming” Bran’s words chilled him to the bone.

“The undead cannot cross the wall, there’s magic in-”

“The wall has fallen” Bran’s voice was so solemn that there was no doubting his words and Jon wheeled him to the great hall while ordering the guards to gather everybody there. He felt an eerie calm spread throughout his body as realization hit him , The great war was here ………..

*************************************************************************************

An eerie silence descended upon the hall after Jon made his announcement about the fate of the wall and he wondered if the terror he was feeling in his heart had caused him to squeak the words and none had heard him properly.

“The wall has stood for thousand years .It was made by the Bran the builder in the age of heroes, You mean to tell me that an army of dead people stomped on it and it crumbled into nothing. I will serve my king as is my duty but don’t expect us to believe this mummer’s farce. You have sent those wildlings to guard the wall , you let them in and now they feed you lies for us to march over there and them to slit our throats in our sleep and have our lands to themselves.”

“Bran himself saw the night king fly the undead dragon viserion and use his flame to bring down a large portion of the wall. We have received no ravens from the night’s watch or the wildlings . Their bird towers were destroyed in the attack.” Jon bellowed and continued

“We can sit here arguing on the validity of the stories or prepare ourselves to survive this winter . The great war is here , we need to stand together against the enemy.”

“Dragons…..she promised her aid in our war and now her dragon is helping the others breach the wall , why would you bring those creatures to the north , they are a curse . The Targaryen’s wreaked havoc in the seven kingdoms before , and now her dragons have brought down the best natural defense against whatever creatures lurked in the forever frozen place. ” Lord barked what Jon was sure a lot of lords were not brave enough to say .

He risked a glance at Denerys since he did not expect her to let the insult wither away but to his astonishment , he found her eyes studying him intensely . _She wants to see how I handle this , How I pledge my lords to her support, she would intervene only when she deems necessary_ . Though she seemed to put him to the test , he was grateful that her prudence had avoided unnecessary argument for time was of the utmost essence here .

“The queen lost one of her dragons , her child in order to rescue me and my men from north of the wall. I can assure the dragons seemed more a blessing than a curse when they were the only thing standing between us and death . Fire can burn the undead , its time we bring the fire to them. The queen has agreed to help us at a great personal cost . For her support in the war and helping the north , I have sworn fealty to her . ”

Jon thought he should get to the crux of the matter while the lords were already enraged , he did not wish to tarry as such politics would only serve to waste more of their time . It might be a stupid move but it seemed to earn him a warm smile of approval from the queen .

The whole hall seemed to immerse in shouts and not so hushed whispers . He turned to his siblings and saw Sansa throwing a poisonous look his way . _Off course , I can do nothing right in her eyes_ . She seemed to carry herself as Lady Catelyn come again , scowling at Jon’s existence for no reason but unlike her mother who would let Jon know exactly what she thought of him , Sansa would just get that look in her eyes that meant she was disappointed in him and thought herself to be much better at this than he was . Sometimes , most times, Jon thought her assessment was not incorrect.

Bran just looked bored as if he could not wait for this conversation to be over to get too more important matters , he shared that sentiment . People here were more concerned with their stupid pride and lands  when they should be worrying only about their lives .

Arya was nowhere to be seen and he wondered where she could be when a dagger flew past him and wedged itself into the table right in between two of Lord Royce’s fingers . The hall was once again silent as the attacker emerged from the shadows behind him .

 

“What did you say Lord Royce?”

 

He had instantly recognized the dagger as belonging to her but it seemed to shock the lord in question.

“I ……I merely ………I merely stated that with Lord Bran’s return,  it is no longer under King Jon’s authority to swear fealty to the lady Denerys . ”

“I believe his exact words _were the bastard had no right to surrender the whole north to the foreign whore_. I for one would only choose to insult one set of royals in a sentence but to each , his own ” Tyrion Lannister spoke for the first time since the meeting . Jon had never seen the man silent for more than a few minutes but he made himself scarce in the north since so many of his men were still distrustful of Lannisters , even the publicly exiled one .

 

Lord Royce was the one who lead the vale army to the north in the battle of bastards and from then he had thought he walked on water and could not be punished for anything since he had a pivotal role in liberating the north . Jon had heard all about his backhanded ploys to  usurp his throne but he had more important things to focus on . Now however , the old scheming serpent had gone too far . Denerys was just trying to help them , she did not deserve all this scorn from upstart lords like him.

One look at Denerys and he knew her surprising bout of patience was nearing an end, he did not like Royce but did not want the man to lose his head over his pigheadedness. Having insulted both monarchs it was surprising that the one who lost patience with him was Arya .

Jon prided himself on knowing her , her moods , her thoughts , her insecurities and fears . She was the girl who would punch him in the face when he was being stupid but also the one who would climb his bed during thunderstorms since she couldn’t sleep alone with all that noise even though her breath would hitch everytime lightning seemed to touch the ground . She did not want to admit weakness even then.

But this new Arya had once again proved he knew nothing. He had noted little changes in her behavior in the past few hours but this was something else . It was like someone else had taken control of her face , her face was cold and expressionless , you couldn’t tell what her next move could be and she looked deadly and dangerous with a half smile on her face.

She advanced slowly towards Royce and produced two daggers from under her cloak. Toying with the hilt of one she seemed calm as still water when she said  

“My father always said we got one tongue and two ears so we need to listen more and talk less . My brother was not finished talking …………..yet you felt like you could interrupt your king and insult him to his face . ”

Her voice was steady but the cool detachment with which the word were said raised the hairs on his back .He wasn’t the only one affected since all eyes were trained on her.

“What do you say my Lord , shall I cut off your tongue for insulting my Brother… ” Another dagger went up beside Royce’s head missing him by a few inches

“ ….or your ears for failing to listen to your rightful king . ”  Arya finished speaking and had already made her way towards her target pressing needle’s tip to his throat .

“Perhaps I should just slit your throat and be done with it ” Lord Royce’s eyes were wide with despair which made Arya smile but Seeing that sadistic smile upon her face urged Jon into action.

“Enough…”He bellowed “We are at war and I will need every man here to fight it . I do not care who sits on the throne when all this is over but I will not be the king who sees his men perish for his pride . None of you have fought the dangers that lurked behind the wall , if we are to survive we need the dragons and more importantly we need each other . No army can fight in this climate without northern support but we do not have the strength or the numbers to win this war alone  . We will have nothing left to fight for if we  lose focus now. ”

That was the most passionate and angry words that the crowd had heard from their King for he was unusually quiet , Jon’s rant seemed to mellow their rage and he was proud to hear some murmurs of agreement .

As he had predicted , the bravest of the lot and that meant little Lyanna Mormont , bless that girl stood up and declared her support.”I swore to serve Jon snow and mormonts never back down from a fight . We will fight alongside you till our last day , but my men will not follow a foreigner . We know no king but the king in the north whose name is Stark. Targareyens , Baratheons , Lannisters ……..southerners have always brought trouble to the north . ”

Though not exactly the agreement he hoped for , the little speech rekindled the stubborn northern pride from his lords and more than one stood up agreeing to fight till death and giving the dead fuckers the fight of his life . It was clear that they refused to bow down to the dragon queen still referring to him as their king.

“I lost a dragon to your cause , I rescued your king . I retreated my armies from the fight for the iron throne and brought them here to this …wasteland and for what …..Your lords refuse to acknowledge me as their queen even when their King sore fealty to me. Am I to immerse my armies to your war and lose everything I have worked for , lose my birthright , lose my children and for what ………….for little lords who will be dead without my help to refer to me as a foreign whore . I thought word meant something in the north !!! ” Denerys who had stood silent all this while had definitely had it with the straight forward and crude language the north was known for .

“The north is not like your southern courts filled with hidden motives and sweet words , it is harsh and cold . We say what we mean , and mean what we do. Jon didn’t declare himself king and urged people to his cause , lords didn’t come crawling to his feet because he was Ned Stark’s blood. He proved himself a capable leader , a commander of legions by getting winterfell back. The lords declared him King because he could defend the north . Our lords would never bow to someone for a birthright ,the starks have defended the north for years , we earned it . You prove yourself and win our loyalty . That’s the way of the north and the north and the north remembers  .” Sansa’s quiet but solemn voice seemed to cut through Denerys’s anger as she gave her a cold and calculating look.

“Very well then Lady Sansa. The north is an important part of my kingdom and I will rise to its defence. In return , I will have the loyalty of the north , but I am willing to prove myself and earn this loyalty . You will find I brought both my blood and fire to the north . My children will slay this threat and then we can resume this game of thrones . I am sure the north will back me for we have some common enemies  , I am sure you want Cersei dead more than I do . But beware , for I shall not leave unless I have what I am owed. ” Denerys seemed to have come to the conclusion that he himself had arrived with Lyanna’s words. She seemed confident that she will be able to sway the northern lords . _Well she does have an army and two dragons for persuasion_.

“Cersei Lannister will be dead regardless of your game of thrones . I have waited a long time, winter is coming for her . Valar morghullis” A voice that sounded like Arya but sounded eerily calm , and cold added from her spot . She had finally removed needle from Lord Royce’s throat who seemed to be rubbing it vigorously no doubt to get the blood flowing back there again.

Those words made no sense to Jon but seemed to please Denerys as she smiled warmly at Arya , bowed her head and muttered an even confusing “Valar Dohaeris”.

Bran seemed to go to sleep beside him , this conversation was long enough without the two women needing to throw around foreign words . Jon was exasperated, have they even been listening to me? Women would always do what they want regardless the circumstances . He should really keep these two at a distance , they could be a very bad influence on each other .

“We will deal with her later , first we need to all the northern armies to winterfell at the earliest possible . Call our banners , the north is at war.” Jon declared again getting to the topic at hand , all the digression was making his head hurt . Give him a sword in his hand and a fucker to fight anyday than handling a council where everyone wanted something else.

This time , there was no hushed whisper . Each and every lord cheered as if he hadn’t just declared war but announced a feast in their honour. The great war was here ,the wall was breached , the lords were convinced and the queen agreed but there was still work to be done . Oh , he could just about foresee the long night ahead . He had won the support of the north , but from here on , every conversation , every meeting , every word will be a battle in its own right.

It was a good thing he was a battle hardened soldier , This was not a war he intended to lose.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I wrote a super long chapter to compensate for my absence , I havent planned out the story yet so I didnt have any clue how to proceed . lately I came across my notes that I wrote when I first started the story and that inspired me to take it up again. so sorry for the long wait , please review and comment and I will do my damn best to get the next chapter out quickly.


	5. Fearing Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon seems abruptly cross with Arya , behaving more like a King than a brother . Sandor has to put up with old duties again and Gendry calms a raging old friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have a blueprint for this fic. I am making it up as I go so any suggestion or feedback is welcome . Also Jon has suddenly not gone cold , he has legitimate fears that is causing him to behave as such.

Arya

 

As a faceless woman, she had been used to feeling nothing and showing no emotion. Yet she had overcome with feelings for the past few hours , seeing Jon for the first time after leaving Winterfell , seeing the Hound alive and then finding out Gendry had been alive all this time had filled her with so much happiness that she thought she had overcome her cold assassin persona .

And then Lord Royce ruined it all with his big mouth . She had been perfectly content holding Gendry’s hand listening to the bickering of the council when he used that word . Bastard . It brought out a surge of anger in her so sudden that she coudnt help but fall back to her faceless training , aimed only to kill not to feel.  
It had taken her every ounce of control to let him go when Jon shouted . She shuddered to think what she would have done if he had not . Surely a man did not deserve death for one foul word but it was ingrained in her that death was coming for everyone , whether they deserved it or not . With the thought of death came her list , still incomplete , she still needed to finish off Cersei and had announced as much to the assembled party . A foolish mistake , she had been overcome with anger and had forgotten to hide her motives from them.  
As soon as those words had left her mouth , she knew there will be consequences. She could feel it in Jon’s frown and Gendry’s gaze burning in the back of her head. She was relieved when Bran had requested Jon’s presence for some urgent matter , she knew he was itching for an explanation and she didn’t know how much of her past could she reveal to him.  
It was no surprise when she was called to meet with Jon , Though she was surprised he had asked her to meet in the crypts . Jon was standing in front of Lyanna’s statue when she arrived . He looked deep in thought so she decided she wont interrupt his reverie.  
“Are you going to tell me what happened to you. ”  
She had avoided the question all night long , she didn’t find it in her to hide anymore.  
“I tried to reach home , I tried to reach you but I couldn’t so I learnt how to live on my own , defend myself” She neither wanted to tell him about her training nor did she know if she was allowed to share their secrets with others .  
“And what of your list , Sansa told me you had a list of people you wanted to kill . That most of them are dead . You announced last night that you intend to go to King’s Landing to get rid of Cersei” A flash of irritation crossed her mind at the thought that her siblings might have talked about her behind her back.  
“No one has ever deserved to die more . She took everything from us . The Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts”  
“Arya we are preparing for a war and we need her men , any move against her now would endanger this fragile peace and then we will be facing armies from both fronts. I will not have you starting up another war when we can scarce win this one .”  
“We have always been at war with them Jon!! Make no mistake, she will betray you . Lannisters are not to be trusted . Kingslayer wasn’t the only one of them who would break an oath to drive a knife in your back”  
“All the more reason for me to keep you away from them.”  
“You can’t protect me . No one can . I don’t need protection , you don’t know what I have done , what I am capable of .I - ”  
“because you won’t tell me . You won’t trust me with the truth . ” She couldn’t understand why he was taking about this now when they had just gotten together .When she remained silent despite the pleading in his voice . He continued “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish. I won’t lose you over this , Arya .”  
“You won’t”  
“Promise me ”  
“I can’t . I have my own war to fight , Jon. ”  
“So this is not your war! We are fighting for the north , for our lives here .” Arya couldn’t believe how fast this conversation was going downhill , this was not what she wanted to talk about!! Jon was being completely unreasonable. She wanted to help but it was him who had left her out the loop.  
“And how can I help in this war ? You wouldn’t let me go to King’s Landing but will I be able to ride into battle beside you ? Sansa is supervising the food rations and other preparations for the war . Denerys has gone off with her Dothraki to rescue people from keeps north of Winterfell. Brienne is helping train the women to fight . Gendry is making dragonglass weapons . Bran is keeping an eye on the night king’s movement while Sam and the Hound are securing the castle . You and Tyrion are drawing up battle plans. You announced all their roles in the wars to come , but you left me out . Let me go do what I am good at . I am not starting up another war , I am ridding us off one. ”

Jon seemed to think on it for several seconds and she thought she had him but then his eyes grew stormy , much like her own and she knew she had just lost this battle.  
“I almost deserted the night’s watch when I heard of Father . I wanted to go with Robb and fight .I wasn’t able to . You know what I did when I was told you were missing and most likely dead . ” He chucked mirthlessly “I did nothing , I felt powerless. Something in me died that day . I had no more reason to fight , to hope . Robb died , winterfell was burnt , Rickon died in front of my eyes while I stood helpless. When you came back I vowed to myself I would never feel that way again. ”She was unable to understand what was going on with Jon .

“You will stay and forget about the list , Arya . ” She was taken aback as Jon had never used such a commanding voice with her before . He used to give in to her demands everytime.  
“That’s not me , your grace ” She added quietly before slipping out of the cave.

 

 

**

 

She found the hound smirking at her when she exited the crypts . She sprinted ahead , too angry to have a civil conversation , not that any conversation with the hound had any chances of being civil.  
To her annoyance , he seemed not to get the hint and followed her on her way to the Godswood.He was really testing her patience.  
“Before you try to kill me or take a swing at me with your little toothpick-”  
“Needle” Arya huffed  
“ I would like to inform you your brother has asked me to keep an eye on you so you don’t run off to kill the queen bitch.”  
She couldn’t stop herself from whirling around in shock .  
“What? Why?”  
“ Its not my place to question kings but I’d like to think its because I have a lot of experience trying to keep you from running off and getting yourself killed .”  
“You sucked at that job considering I did run off and managed not to get killed”  
“That’s cos you weren’t running towards the danger then. You couldn’t wait to get home then and now that you are here you want to run off to the snake’s pit .Are all you stark lot suicidal?”  
She shut her mouth , he would have a ready retort for anything that she says . She had forgotten how much of a smartass he was so she went back to ignoring him and silently made way to the weirwood and kneeled not to pray , just to enjoy the silence .  
Offcourse that was not possible considering her present unwanted company .  
“Its already bloody cold without kneeling into the snow . I am not carrying you out if your feet give out . Firstly cos I don’t want to and secondly I’d never find the way , all those bloody trees look the same and scary if you ask me”  
“Nobody is asking you , would you shut up !!”  
“I’d shut up if my balls were not freezing in the cold . Are you done with this , I am not dying cos you suddenly found God”  
It hasn’t been that long , she hadn’t even spent an hour in there . Bloody southerner !!  
“Sometimes I really regret not killing you when I had the chance” She huffed angrily made her way to the castle. She was too angry at Jon and did not want to face Sansa as well. They all were contributing to the war but she was being considered as an invalid .

 

  
She saw thick smoke coming form Mikken’s (Now Gendry’s) forge and soon enough she found herself staring at the door . She decided against knocking and stomped inside perching herself on a wooden barrel .  
Gendry was shirtless and currently beating a sword into shape on the anvil. For a few minutes , she lost herself watching the flex of his muscles as he ponded the metal . She remembered thinking before that he was strong , he seemed even stronger now.  
She disliked her current thoughts and so she hastily turned to a large pile of dragonglass arrowheads and began tying it to the shafts . Gendry had taught her how to do that when they travelled and it felt good to be useful for some time.

“Are you going to speak to me or are you planning to attempt to scare me a second time ”  
Arya had to roll her eyes at that .”Attempt !! you looked like you’d seen a ghost ! How did you know it was me this time ? ”  
“You’re always quite as a ghost unless you’re angry . You stomped all the way , I could here you before you opened the door ”  
“Quiet as a shadow . Ghosts can be noisy ”  
Gendry nodded “Yeah , quiet as a shadow. Quick as a snake . Swift as a deer . Fierce as a wolverine .”  
“Calm as still water ” they both finished together and smiled .  
“You remember!!” Arya was intrigued , he had never shown an interest whenever she offered to teach him claiming he was better with a hammer . And yet , he had memorized all the words she used from her training .  
Gendry turned away before she could study too much the heat that had spread on his cheeks . He mumbled something but Arya was trained to decipher even unintelligible gibberish. It sounded suspiciously like  
“As if anyone could forget you ”  
But she had , she had forgotten everyone and herself and even now , some part of her felt missing . Maybe that’s why Jon was so convinced she would leave cos she was faceless . She could feel couldn’t care about the war that threatened her home and her people. It hurt that he had already decided she would abandon everything and everyone .  
Gendry met her eyes and whatever he saw caused his expression to darken . “Arya , whats wrong?”  
She dropped her gaze and told him it was nothing and increased her pace with the arrowheads .  
“Careful , those are sharp!! ”  
She nodded but did not slow down .She could feel his gaze on her trying to figure her out .  
“Its Jon , isn’t it?”  
That caused her to stop.”How did you know?”  
Gendry smirked , abandoning his post at the anvil and walked to her .  
“You have tied half the pile in record time. I remember you were always ruthlessly efficient when angry but since you’re not biting my head off or shouting , you’re also a bit hurt .” She scoffed to deny it but he fixed her with a pointed look .  
“And well since you’re you . If it had been any one other than Jon , it would be them that would end up hurt . So are you going to tell me whats wrong.”  
How did he remember all this stuff about her when she doesn’t . Even Jon didn’t seem to know her anymore . And she couldn’t begin to describe all that’s wrong so she did the only thing that was keeping her from lashing out right now. She continued with tying those damn arrowheads .

Gendry was clearly waiting for her answer .“Its Jon . He thinks I will abandon winterfell cos I don’t care about the war .”  
“What?”  
Arya ignored him and continued . Now that she had started she couldn’t seem to stop.  
“I don’t care about winterfell or anyone . I would leave everything and everyone and go after Cersei to kill her . ” She had started talking faster to match her pace with the arrowheads .  
“Arya slow down , Jon wouldn’t do that . He loves you ”.

At this point , she was beyond listening to him . She could feel the dragonglass biting to her skin and tears threatning to fall iff and her vision was blurring but she’d go on.  
“He has appointed Sandor to keep me from running off . Everyone is doing their part in preparing for war but he thinks I need a guard cos he cant trust me to start another war. As if I’m an invalid , as if I - ”  
“Arya ” She felt strong hands grip her small ones so she’d be forced to stop.  
“Look at me ” She did and the first thing she caught was he was standing close . Too close.

  
She would have pushed her head back but his eyes were boring into her and seemed to pull her in. She didn’t know when he had release her hands for now they were cupping her cheeks and she couldn’t stop the tears pooling in her eyes from escaping. His thumbs brushed those away and his face seemed to move even closer. She fought to keep her eyes open but they felt too heavy .  
_Fear cuts deeper than swords . Fear cuts deeper than swords._

  
And then she felt his lips pressing on her forehead and she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding . With everything changing around her she didn’t know if she could handle another change and was relieved that their relationship had remained the same.  
She tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around him . He still smelled of smoke , sweat and warmth and it helped calm her . One of His hand was holding her and the other was caressing her hair . Before long , he left her hair and lifted her chin with his fingers .  
“You Arya stark are one of the most frustrating stubborn person I have ever met ” She frowned at his insult but was ignored.  
“I don’t know why Jon thinks you don’t care about the war and will abandon it . I for one know you would never turn down a fight , even when you were the littlest person picking on the biggest brute . ” She knew he meant it to be teasing but she couldn’t help the smile from splitting onto her face.  
“He thinks you’re a liability , that you’ll abandon your people . You prove him wrong . You don’t need his permission to help in the war .If there is anyone who could make a King realize his mistake , it’s you Arya Stark”  
She had never felt like this . His words were calming , but his eyes were creating a storm within her . They were gazing at her with such intensity that she couldn’t look away . They had never been so close in all their travels , nor did his touch ever affect her so. She wanted to run away and stay this way at the same time . Gendry was one of her oldest friends , he still knew her better than most . But everytime their eyes locked she felt a pull she had never before . His eyes were bluer than the sea and they threatened to drown her .  
She couldn’t . He was still looking at the girl he had known , he did not know the things she had done or he would have lost faith like Jon . She wanted to get out of here , she did not want him staring at her with hope in his eyes .  
When a heavy fist knocked on the door. They pulled apart and she slipped out the forge with a last glance at him .  
She vowed to forget the incident and the surge of feeling it bought in her but the burn of his lips against her skin could be felt long after she retired for the day.


End file.
